East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH)
East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) is a registered charity (number 1069284) that cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk and supports their families.
For those accessing care and those who have been bereaved, EACH is a lifeline at an unimaginably difficult time. When time is short, EACH helps families make the most of their precious time together and create memories that last forever.
History[edit]
The charity runs three hospices – Milton in Cambridgeshire, Quidenham in Norfolk and The Treehouse in Suffolk. Milton hospice was opened in 1989 by Diana, Princess of Wales[1], becoming only the second children's hospice in the world. Quidenham hospice was opened in 1991, becoming the fifth, and in 1998 merged with Milton to become East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH). In 1999 EACH opened a hospice in Ipswich, in a converted bungalow, as a pilot project. Demand for services grew significantly and the facility was unable to meet need, so a purpose-built hospice called The Treehouse was opened and began delivering services in May 2011, funded by a £3.9 million capital appeal[2]. Due to restricted facilities and high demand in Norfolk, EACH launched ‘the nook appeal’ on 25th November 2015 to raise £10 million for the delivery of even better children’s hospice care services across the county. This includes a new purpose-built hospice, called the nook, to transform children’s palliative care in Norfolk (for more information see ‘The nook appeal’ section below).
Services[edit]
EACH offers the following services: care at end of life, specialist symptom management support and advice, day-care and overnight breaks including accommodation for families, emotional and wellbeing support including counselling, art and music therapy, occupational and physiotherapy including hydrotherapy, specialist play, family events, support groups and spiritual care.
EACH offers families flexibility and control over where they receive care and support; at one of its hospices, hospital, home or in the community. The charity offers a family-centred approach to meet individual needs.
Examples include the EACH Symptom Management Team, a 24/7 team of specialist nurses who provide families with choices to manage their child's health needs and symptoms, and a NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) care pathway enabling parents to take their baby from hospital to home or hospice when they need end of life care.
Care figures[edit]
As of August 2017, EACH cares for and supports 816 children, young people and family members – 364 life-threatened children and young people and 452 family members (receiving face-to-face wellbeing support). EACH supports around 450 families at any one time.
Funding[edit]
EACH provides its services completely free of charge to service users. The charity relies on voluntary donations for the majority of its income and every year needs to raise more than £5 million from fundraising and £2.5 million from retail. EACH has three fundraising offices in the following locations: Milton in Cambridgeshire, Framingham Pigot in Norfolk and Ipswich in Suffolk.
It has a portfolio of 30 shops in the following locations: Bungay, Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge, Cherry Hinton, Clacton-on-Sea, Dereham, Diss, Downham Market, Fakenham, Felixstowe, Framlingham, Hadleigh, Halesworth, Halstead, Holt, Ipswich, Leiston, Long Stratton, Lowestoft, Norwich, Saxmundham, Stowmarket, Sudbury, Swaffham, Whittlesey and Wymondham.
EACH Royal Patron[edit]
In January 2012 EACH was honoured and extremely proud to announce that Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge would become its Royal Patron.[3]
Her Royal Highness formally opened The Treehouse hospice in Ipswich in March 2012, when she made her first public address – an occasion of great historical significance and national and international media interest.[3]
EACH works with Hospis Malaysia and Hummingbird House in Australia, thanks to introductions made by the Duchess after visited those three countries in September 2012 and April 2014, respectively.[3]
In April 2013, the Duchess celebrated Children’s Hospice Week by recording her first ever video message to encourage people to support children’s hospices.[4]
In June 2013, the Duchess named Princess Cruises’ newest ship, becoming godmother to ‘Royal Princess’.[5] A bereaved family who had received care and support from EACH attended and presented The Duchess with a pair of scissors to cut the rope for the bottle break.
In July 2013, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s son Prince George of Cambridge was born[6] and in May 2015 Princess Charlotte of Cambridge was born[7]. For both births, EACH saw increased media coverage to raise awareness and interest, as well as donations.
In November 2014, the Duchess of Cambridge attended the launch of EACH's nook appeal.[8]
In March 2016, the Duchess attended the opening ceremony of EACH's Holt shop, cutting the ribbon alongside two families who received care and support from the charity.[9]
The nook appeal[edit]
On N25th November 2014, due to restricted facilities and high demand in Norfolk, EACH launched ‘the nook appeal’ [8] to raise £10 million for the delivery of even better children’s hospice care across the county. This includes a new purpose-built hospice, called the nook.
The new site will replace EACH's current Norfolk hospice in Quidenham, where accessibility is really limited, as is flexibility, and there is no scope to expand.
On 15th November 2017, foundations for the nook were dug out at a special event.[10] The nook will be a new hospice in a fantastic five-acre woodland setting in Framingham Earl, five miles south of Norwich. It will be nearer the centre of the county, much closer to local services, hospitals and road networks. That also means the majority of families and staff will travel shorter distances to receive and deliver care.
The nook will have: • a far larger care area on a single floor • more areas for clinical care and improved medical and nursing equipment • fantastic activity areas for arts, crafts and play • a hydrotherapy pool – something EACH does not have the space for at Quidenham • a large state-of-the-art sensory room • dedicated therapy rooms and music studio • larger and better equipped en-suite bedrooms for children and young people • en-suite family accommodation rooms • far more outside space for children to safely play and explore • a special quiet haven area for families • facilities for family support groups, counselling, therapies and activities.
The size and design of the building will also mean a reduction in the short-break care EACH has to cancel to deliver vital end of life care. The nook will enable it to do both, better, and at the same time.
References[edit]
- ↑ "Princess Diana's charity work and causes". 1 May 2018 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
- ↑ Furniss, By Elliot. "Suffolk: Kate set for hospice's grand opening".
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "EACH Royal Patron - HRH The Duchess of Cambridge". www.each.org.uk.
- ↑ The Royal Family (28 April 2013). "A video message by The Duchess of Cambridge to support Children's Hospice Week" – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Royal Princess (2013)". 3 April 2018 – via Wikipedia.
- ↑ Kirsty.Oram (22 February 2016). "Prince George".
- ↑ Kirsty.Oram (22 February 2016). "Princess Charlotte".
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Adam.Vallance (24 January 2017). "The Duchess of Cambridge visits EACH Hospice in Quidenham".
- ↑ "Duchess to open new charity shop in Norfolk town".
- ↑ Wyllie, Sophie. "Delight as diggers get to work on new £10m EACH nook hospice at Framingham Earl".
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